Georgia, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds,

Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens talked about his position as the WILL linebacker and the 4-3 over." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteArrowhead PrideArrowhead Pride | Kansas City Chiefs Schedule Juan Thornhill white jersey , News, Roster and StatsLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpSeriesLatest NewsFanpostsFanshotsCommunityAboutStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteSeries Stagner ThingsLottery Tickets ’19Summer of SpagsDixon’s MailbagLatest News Fanposts Most recentMost activeFanshots Community Community GuidelinesContactAbout StubHub ✕Anthony Hitchens provided clues about Steve Spagnuolo’s Chiefs defense on TuesdayNew,33commentsChiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens talked about his position as the WILL linebacker and the 4-3 over.CDTShareTweetShareShareAnthony Hitchens provided clues about Steve Spagnuolo’s Chiefs defense on TuesdayDenny Medley-USA TODAY SportsA couple of Kansas City Chiefs players stepped up to the podium Tuesday to speak with the local media. One of them was linebacker Anthony Hitchens, and he provided us some things we knew, some things we assumed and some new tidbits of information about the 2019 Chiefs defense and Steve Spagnuolo.Right off the bat, Hitchens was asked about the difficulties of learning Spagnuolo’s defense.Coming off of a year that was plagued with hesitation and generally slow play from the linebackers, this might be music to some Chiefs fans’ ears. Whereas Bob Sutton looked to have the linebackers wait for the play to develop before reacting, Spagnuolo is going to ask his defenders to target particular gaps on any given play. If they read run Juan Thornhill Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys , the linebackers can trigger and fill to a specific gap, rather than a range of them.Reducing the mental side and asking the linebackers to play with a lot more freedom should allow Hitchens to play significantly faster than he did last year. This naturally led to questions about his fit and his comfort level in the defense.For those that have followed the Summer of Spags series, this only reinforces what Matt Lane and I have seen from previous Spagnuolo years. Matt described the 4-3 Under and the 4-3 Over alignments in his first piece, and Hitchens comments line up with his work.Another piece of the defense we have mentioned in the past couple of months is how Spagnuolo likes to utilize his linebackers in the base 4-3 defenses. Hitchens described playing the WILL linebacker in the base — which makes sense based on his skill set and what Spagnuolo (not necessarily traditional 4-3 Under/Over rulesets) asks of his WILL linebacker. This leaves a likely scenario of Reggie Ragland at the MIKE linebacker and Damien Wilson at the SAM linebacker.Speaking of Wilson, Hitchens also elaborated on the time they spent together in Dallas.The chemistry between the traditional play-caller in Hitchens — who will have the green dot and stay on the field in the nickel — and Wilson is something that hasn’t been discussed much this offseason. The communication at all levels of the defense last year was poor, and it showed. Being able to add a player that can walk in and be on the same page with the guy who should be lining up the fronts is more important than many realize.Hitchens’ evaluation of Wilson is another aspect of this defense that we’ve heard time and time again this offseason — he doesn’t quit. While there have been many opinions shared about the effort level and mentality of the defense last year, the overall point most reach is that the defense was too soft. Wilson appears to be another addition in a long line of guys brought in this offseason who have a high motor and effort to get to the ball, alongside Tyrann Mathieu Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys Stitched , Frank Clark and Juan Thornhill. The effort level and the edge that these players could bring to the field this fall might still be underestimated.Going through a third scheme change in as many years can make some players turtle up and struggle to adapt, but Hitchens claims he’s an open book for Spagnuolo.With the all-star assistant coaching staff brought in by Spagnuolo, players should take notice. It’s still good to hear that Hitchens is willing to adapt his game and change how he’ll play for Matt House and Spagnuolo to be the best player that he can be in 2019.Hitchens also seems to have a great respect for the way Spagnuolo has conducted himself since he’s been in the building.We’ve heard all throughout OTAs that Spagnuolo is stopping drills and getting one-on-one time with players to correct behaviors and teach the proper technique. Hearing that he’s going that extra mile off the field is even better. We know that Spagnuolo is an aggressive coach that holds players accountable, but it’s not just yelling and screaming to get the job done. as a group” olyn further reinforces the confusion and complexity of what he was asked in Sutton’s defense last year.Not only is the defense simple enough for Hitchens to absorb and apply at his position, he also claimed that he was attempting to learn every position so he could better understand where to direct traffic on the field. An overall, unified understanding of the defense shouldn’t feel like such a major ask, and yet here we are.Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsThere’s a lot riding on the play of Anthony Hitchens this season. The Chiefs are going to ask him to be a three-down linebacker in Spagnuolo’s system, so his performance on the field must improve from 2019 if this defense as a whole is going to grow.From the little he said at his presser Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys 2019 , it sounds like the staff is preparing him to make that leap. Excellent coaching, a scheme that isn’t unnecessarily complex and the ability to play fast could very well make this Hitchens’ best season yet. KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs traded up five spots in the second round to select wide receiver Mecole Hardman with the 56th overall pick Friday night, giving the team some insurance given the uncertainty surrounding suspended star Tyreek Hill.Hardman, who starred at Georgia, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds, making the comparisons to the speedy Hill obvious. Hardman not only has the ability to beat defenses deep, he averaged 20.1 yards on punt returns Juan Thornhill black jersey , giving him value in another phase of the game.Hill has been suspended from all team activities as the Chiefs and local prosecutors investigate his role in an alleged child abuse case inside his home. Audio surfaced his week in which Hill and his fiancee, Crystal Espinal, discuss an injury to their three-year-old son.The Chiefs traded their fifth-round pick to the Rams to move up in the second round.100<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj Mehta